ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — the fish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a great time
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cold — not warm
  16. roll — a list
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — an illness
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. date — the fruit
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bass — low music
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com